Thumb-twiddling for beginners.

Three weeks after being offered a job I still don't know when I might actually start working! Being utterly poor it is one of those ironic times where I have time to be doing stuff but no dosh to enable me to do it: I have invites to the South of France and to Norway to visit friends but I can't afford to get there and  Sod's Law dictates that as soon as I landed anywhere I'd get a summons to start work back in UK. The problem appears to be references. Despite telling them, with three day's notice that one of my referees would be going on holiday for 2 weeks I don't think they managed to get the request to her in time. As for my former employers, it wouldn't surprise me if they put the request at the bottom of their in-tray: they went to extravagant lengths to make me understand how insignificant I was in the scheme of their things whilst I was being paid by them, why should that have changed? There is of course the possibility that they either give an unfavourable reference -within the bounds of the law of course, or that they refuse to submit one. It would be a foolish move as you KNOW I kept copies of relevant communication and wrote in my appointment book about when I discovered problems, when I reported them and how long it took for any acknowledgement let alone "action" to be taken. I was told that asking for information was anything from "aggressive" to "thinking its all about you" as I waited EIGHT MONTHS for them to tell me how I was to continue to do a job that the Charity Commission had declared illegal.

I tried to get my new employers to give me operational details about the job as well as any strategic plans and how the venue fits into their overall plans, but they refuse to do that until they have made a formal offer. I confess it is one of my fears of working for a public sector agency: they'll adhere to rules regardless of common sense at every opportunity. I'm not that well-disposed to inactivity. Even the soulless "job-hunting" gave me something with which to fill my days. I was getting on the nerves of my Line-Manager-to-be by asking questions he couldn't answer so I am trying to be patient and wait.. It is terribly frustrating to know I am going to have a HUGE job ahead of me to turn round this business whilst I am sitting about wasting time I could be using in specific research and planning. I have exhausted all the "general" sources I can think of.

Boringly; my car needs some work I can't afford to have done which is a tad worrying as I soon will be doing 40 mile round trips daily. If I don't do it I risk the embarrassment of clouds of blue smoke emanating from it whenever I stop at lights. The lodger said he smelled diesel in the cabin and suspects a broken pipe or somesuch in addition to a blocked valve that sorts out the smoke issue. Ain't it always the way: when I was flush with cash; few capital issues arose, when I ran short, lots of things began to fail. Last month everyone who owed me money underpaid me or "forgot" entirely so I am less than popular with several creditors as even my cursory payments weren't made. If I didn't have this job offer I think I'd be suicidal.

I just want to get started. I like the fact that the job is considered a bit of a booby-prize; I've turned a coupe of those into winners before. Realistically this is likely to be my last contracted job; hopefully my Charitable Incorporated Organisation will have been registered and fully operational by the end of this summer and will create a comfortable escape route for me if this job ends up being too "public sector" for my comfort and sanity.